Ruby Class with Gigi’s

  

Hubs is giving me an early Valentine’s gift. Gigi’s Bra Supplies is having a fitting class for the Ruby bra in February.

Chickadee? Tit?

 Today, I’m looking at the Mésange Bra by Small Bobbins. Mésange means tit, as in the bird. 

It’s winter, I’m up a few pounds, I have to start over with sizing. My underbust can be an inch or two off either way any given day. 

Mésange asks for the bottom cup depth, BCD, for sizing. Let’s say my underbust is about 33 inches today, and my BCD is  about 9 cm. Mésange puts me in 38AA. Measuring the dart gives me a length of 8.6 cm, so a little shy of the length so that the dart ends doesn’t give a noticeable point. But, the horizontal hemisphere, HH, in this size is 7 5/8 inches, 19.4 cm. My HH is about 9 inches or 23 cm; 8 3/4 inches or 22.5 cm on the smaller side. Is the stretch cup going to make the difference if I use the cup suggested?

The underwire called for the 38AA is size 85. The chart provided on the Hariito website shows wires that are similar to the France wires by Emerald Erin. The chart starts at size 90, which is a size 36 in the France chart. That makes the 38AA use size 34, which is  smaller than I’ve fit before, and I don’t have a 34.

I sewed up a trial bra of the 38A size. The cradle is cup lining. The back and cups are firm? powernet. I think regular would have been better for this. The wire is too short for me, and makes a divot on my side. The band was too short around, I had to add the extender. So, that would  call for going up a size or two! I’ll have to find regular weight powernet and give it another go. 

This powernet only has about 20-25% stretch. Regular weight should be at least 50%! Oops, the pattern calls for 35% for the cups. I’ll have to look up which weight this is, the pattern requires the back band should have 150 - 200 gsm powernet, but doesn’t state the stretch percentage. 

For the underarm, the pattern calls for fold over elastic (FOE), and to remove the seam allowance. I left on the seam allowance, the bra would have been quite short without it.

I think I’ll try this pattern again, but in a larger wire size, and the correct stretch. Or, go up a couple band sizes to use this less stretchy fabric. I’ll have to play with it to see if my cup size is represented. It has potential, and the band seemed like it might be an okay fit. I’ll have to try the longline.

Considerations for s9478

 

I have ordered a few kits for the s9478 pattern. It’s a bra that not only plunges, it dips into the band with the help of a V-shaped wire. Have I made it up yet? No. Because I have trouble with sizing. So, I thought I’d get into the kits out and find out what they contained. Two of the kits seem to have a lightweight powernet fabric with approximately 30% stretch.  The other two have a firm weight powernet with 20-25% stretch, along with the lighter powernet. Depending on what I use, the size of the bra will be vastly different.

The instructions for the s9478 show to measure braless. My bust measures 39 1/4” today, and my underbust is about 33”. My size should be 2XL E-F. Thanks, Madalynne. But, that might be too small. Why? Because I need support. Most of the Madalynne patterns are geared towards those whose shape is considered shallow, the cups don’t offer outward shape, rather spread,  like minimizers. My bosom has seen to many a baby well nourished through the first year of his or her life. Yet, they don’t spread around my sides. Plus, I need a bit of propping up.

For the band, to figure out my size, I copied out pieces 3, 4, and 5, then lined them up overlapping to make the half bra. Then, I measured about the width of the elastic up from the bottom edge. That gave me approximately 16 inches. If you double that, that is 32 inches, one inch less than my underbust, and that did not take the closure into account. No, 2XL is not my size. However, I want to use stable fabric across the whole front band (pieces 4&5), to give more support. So, the stretch reduction needs to be only across the back. 

Looking at the cradle pieces, she uses a very wide bowl shape. That tends to be how minimizers are, to squish in and spread the bust around the sides. I need to bring that shape in towards my breast root. I will probably add a rocker wire to add support to the edge of the IMF (InfraMammary Fold).

They still have a kit advertised on the website, but to make s9478 into a body suit. On that page, you can see that the cradle line is not against the model’s breast crease, but rather back and loose. I grabbed a France underwire (rocker style by Emerald Erin), and it looks like about 3 inches of wire spring is built into this bra. 

As much as I would like to make it, I’m going to hold off for a bit so that I can get a well-fitting full coverage style to fit me. From there, I can use this pattern to help me make this style.

The Hanna Bralette

 It’s 2024, and Mama needs some support. 

First up to bat: Hanna by Studio Costura. I’ve been admiring this pattern for a couple years now, yet have resisted its siren sound until now. On her website, Karu has sew alongs for several of her patterns. I’ll follow along!

Step one: Materials. This bra takes lining with 50-60% stretch, and the blog says the lace should have 50% stretch. Clear elastic for the lace edge. Band Elastic allowance is for 10 mm width for both picot edge and the strap elastic, so that’s about 3/8th inch. I’m not sure if I have strap elastic that narrow. And the closure called for is 2 rows high.

 I have looked through my lace, and they are mostly closer to 10-25% stretch, except these five:

I don’t have enough of the lovely caramel lace. 

There is plenty of the red and light blue, they came from kits that had Madalynne patterns. The red came with 1/4 inch elastic and two partially used red spools of thread. The blue I used part of the kit and have 2 feet of 3/8 inch picot and plenty of 1/2 inch strap. 

The green with polka dots came with tulle lining. There is about 55 inches of 3/8 inch picot, but it’s more of a yellow-green. Oh, but where do we measure lace. It is only 15 cm wide at the lowest points, but 16 cm for the full width. Looks like piece B is the widest, and just fits.

The black lace is from the Bra Builder’s Tina kit for Lanai from 2023 Bra Bee.

I do have mesh, so lining acquired!

I dug around and found some Emerald Erin supplies. The 3/8 inch picot and 1/2 inch strap in Caramel should go nicely. But, what about a hook & eye? Found them, tucked into an Em.Erin undies kit.

Second step: sizing

Her blog chart is weird to me. My underbust measurement is currently 32-1/4 inch, which is about 82-83 cm. The chart says that 80 cm is a 36 band, and 85 cm is a 38 band.  I wear a 36 band (32 + 4 is the US norm)… so, should I actually be cutting a 38 inch band? Her pattern, her rules. 85 band, bust measures 102ish, 103? Easier to subtract 103-83=20. The blog post says every 12.5 cm difference is a cup size, so I’m in a B, 85B

Oh, wait; the pattern instructions say High Bust minus Full Bust, 94-83=11, wherein each 2.5 cm is a cup size. That puts me in a D, 85D. 

I am somewhere between 36C & 36D in RTW (neither fits, hence the sewing). So, should I split the difference and sew the 85C?

Looking closely at the pattern, all of a given cup size has the same BCD (Bottom Cup Depth) but all pattern pieces widen for each band size.

Step Three: Cutting

Oh, no.

I checked if the piece fit the other way, but the direction of stretch places it this way. What’s the seam allowance? If you cut out a D from this pattern, you need to have 16 cm between Lowest points of the lace! I guess I am switching to the C cup!

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Looks like I have room to spare for the closure.

I sewed up the D, and I feel undecided. Might be too big, definitely covers. It would make a comfy sleep bra. I’ll think about finishing this one. Next to cut out the B and see if I like it better.

Ready, Steady, Bra!

 Mark your calendars, the 2024 International Bra Sewing Bee is coming this spring! This year looks like they are spreading out, time wise, to give us a firm foundation… The main topic looks like fitting the band!

The sign up opens on Valentine’s Day. This year they are moving the Bee from the Autumn to Spring and changing the format a bit.

The Beginner Bee starts the last weekend of March, and the Main Bee two weeks later. Both of these sets wrap up with the Afterparty May 18.

Now, those are focused classes, the Main Bee is the last week (weekend?) in April.